Thursday, December 17, 2009

Meret

Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'
Every once on a while there is a trend on Ravelry that makes the rounds and leaves little impression on me during the first contagion, but after it's hung around a while, suddenly it hits me like a speeding train and it's all I can do to not work on it 24 hours a day. Meret is this pattern for me--I saw many versions on other people and thought 'Huh, sure looks nice on them' and then kept on about my business, which probably involved obsessively checking my Amazon wish list while eating candy canes, because I'm 13 and I love Christmas.
Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'
Normally I shy away from slouchy hat patterns, as they seem to not be warm, can sometimes look like a giant sun dial on a person's head, seem at times too close too that scarf thing that Rhoda used to wear and can even be bigger & flatter than these pancakes that my brother recently ate in Hawaii. But not Meret! There are many options with this pattern--as written it's not terribly slouchy, can be made into a beanie but can go slouchier by adding repeats.
Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'
The Specs:
Pattern: Meret by Woolly Wormhead
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted, .75 of skein in 'Frank Ochre'
Needles: size 7, 16 inch
Mods: Cast on for the medium size but did the large repeats. As you can see the hat is not gigantic. If I had made this for myself I would have done two extra repeats and maybe gone up a needle size.
Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'
Knitting Meret also allowed me to get in touch with part of me that loves to crank out small accessories. I just love making small projects, it's where my knitting interests are most satisfied. Sure, sweaters are super-impressive, but more and more I realize that the short attention span theater in which I have taken up permanent residence dictates that small projects are my thing.
Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'

Now that my own kids have dumped me and moved on to other gigs, I had to rekindle my relationship with my friend Sandrine in order to snap some pics, because Lord knows this hat was never fitting on my head [see pancake pictures above for genetic explanation]. I was able to ply her with end-of-the-semester Thai food, and since I knit the hat for her anyway, I figured this was as good a time as any to give it to her. Plus now I can claim to have a real bona fide Parisian modeling a beret on my blog! What's next--a Japanese exchange student donning a knitted kimono? Hey, it's a small world after all...
Meret in Malabrigo Worsted 'Frank Ochre'
I must say I enjoyed every one of your comments re: Malabrigo so much. Many of your fave colors were not a surprise to me at all [Impressionist Sky and Tuareg REPRESENT]. But others were totally unknown to me: Pearl Ten, where have you been all my life? I thank you for that. Luckily I actually have two skeins of Bobby Blue to send off [heh heh I am too sekritive]. And as soon as I get the addresses of Jodi and Elizabeth, they will be on their merry way to new homes. Enjoy!


21 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Oh, I'm so excited!

Rose said...

So pretty. I pretty much only do small things; apparently my ADD is even worse than yours.

nicole said...

Sandrine est en effet tres jolie dans son joli beret. (pas d'accents sur ce clavier de merde!)

Congrats to the winners. Jodi is my peeps! and she loves blue, so I know she'll be excited.

I'm excited too, and Heather, you know why! Dang girl, you sure know how to spread the love.

thea said...

Meret looks lovely -- and I'm on the same page as you. Never thought I'd want the slouchy hat, but it's good. Just finished Grace, which is pretty much Meret in a different gauge! And I loved it. As should Sandrine.

Lynn said...

So is it wrong that I used to love Rhoda and her look?? I could never pull something like that off, but she rocked!!!! I was more the Mary type. Even threw one of her famous parties!! LOL

LOVE the pancakes too! Wow those are some big 'cakes!!

Now Meret, doesn't look like any of that, which is good because you don't want a hat to look like giant pancakes from the 70s! It looks fantastic on you!! Great job!

Ashley said...

I believe I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I want to be Sandrine when I grow up. This time, it's because she's pulling off Frank Ochre. In a million years I will never pull off Frank Ochre. SO UNFAIR WHY AM I NOT PARISIAN?

Chelsea said...

The color is fabulous! How I wish I could wear such a gorgeous color. And I love quick knitted projects, I feel so productive and it keeps my brain interested in between the bigger more largely impressive projects.

earthchick said...

Beautiful hat - it looks great on her!

Congrats to Jodi and Elizabeth!

Heather said...

Beautiful! And I hope Sandrine knows just how lucky she is.

Small accessories are my favorite to knit. They are the perfect blend of process and product. Guaranteed to satisfy.

Monet said...

I obsessively cast on for sweaters I never finish...even though I am extremely petite and it shouldn't be that big a deal. But I just...can't...seem...to complete them. My bedroom is a haven for sweaters knitted to 75% of completion and abandoned in favor of a more digestible and less dull pair of socks!

Your large and small knitted projects are always beautiful and your blog is hilarious. Thanks for entertaining me all year! Merry Christmas.

Caffeine Girl said...

I've got a Meret OON, but it's black and I'm finding that a little scary. I can't tell what I'm doing!

I also find myself turning out smaller projects, while my first sweater languishes at the bottom of the basket!

Unknown said...

Those ravelry trends always escape me! Small projects are so fun. You catch the fever, and before you recover, the project is done.

Jodi said...

Love the meret, and I'm tickled pink to be a winner.

Hmmm... eating candy canes and checking Amazon is probably WAY healthier than nibbling on sugar cookies, drinking oodles of Ho Ho Mint Mochas, and watching 20 episodes of Bones.

kim said...

Another fabulous knit and another fabulous model. Does the fabulosity ever end? Congrats to the winners of yummy Malabrigo goodness.

Kim said...

How the hell did I miss Meret! What a sweet hat!

peaknits said...

Yum yum, I love this beret out of MY favorite Malabrigo!

Anonymous said...

nooooooo
yet another small project to tempt me from finishing what I've already started
(and I was wondering what to do with the single skeins of mmmmmm in various colors...)
margieinmaryland

me said...

it looks perfect on you! Bravo for following your temptation and having it turn out so Great!!!

Sarah said...

Well that is one cute hat. I'm among the group that missed this pattern the first time around. Maybe I'll have time to knit again when the third wave starts?

Unknown said...

Oh wow! This is a great hat and such a fantastic color! Nice work!

Elizabeth said...

Thanks so much! I love my yarn...I have never seen that colorway. It's on its way to becoming knitted water under my son's castle moat. Oh, and a pair of mittens for him, too. Thanks and Happy New Year!